Here and Now
by CastleObsessed15
Summary: "Hey Castle, what are you-" She stopped as soon as she saw his body lying, unmoving, on the floor. She rushed over to him and fell to the ground, her hands hovering over him, afraid to touch him.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Hey Castle, what are you-" She stopped as soon as she saw his body lying, unmoving, on the floor. She rushed over to him and fell to the ground, her hands hovering over him, afraid to touch him.

Earlier in the Day…

"Castle, c'mon we're going to be late for work!" She yelled from the kitchen, holding her keys in one hand and travel mug in the other.

"Coming, coming!" He said, rushing out, still tucking his dress shirt into his pants. "Sorry, I couldn't find my bag, have you seen it?"

"Right here." She said, picking it up off the counter and handing it to him. "I put all of your stuff in it last night. Everything is there; laptop, notepad, pens…"

"What about-"

"Yes, the picture is in there also. I know you don't like to go anywhere without it." She said with a smile.

"I don't, and definitely not when I am going to be away from you and little bean most of the day." He said, placing his hand on the barely-there bump.

"Castle, you're really going to call this baby little bean the whole pregnancy aren't you?" She said with a knowing look.

"What? I like it. Little bean…it just, it has a nice ring to it. This way we don't have to refer to the baby as 'it' because we don't know the sex."

"So if we find out the sex of the baby you would stop calling the baby little bean?"

"No. But wait, do you want to find out the sex of the baby?"

"I don't know. I mean, I think I'd like to know whether we're having a boy or girl. You know I'm not a big fan of surprises." Kate said, placing her hand over his on top of her bump.

"Well we still have a month before your sixteen week appointment, so there's still plenty of time to decide."

She smiled and stroked her thumb over his hand. "C'mon, let's get to the precinct. The boys are probably wondering why we aren't there already."

As the pair makes their way into precinct shortly after seven thirty, they were met with empty desks where their partners normally sat at this hour. Castle and Beckett shared a knowing look and both said at the same time, "Lanie."

Ever since the boys and Lanie found out about the baby, the way they've acted towards Castle and Beckett has changed. For instance, everyone has softened towards Kate when she has her cranky spurts, knowing it's mostly due to the lack of caffeine. As soon as Castle and Beckett found out about little bean, they switched Kate from coffee to tea. Knowing how hard it would be for Kate to go nine long months without it, Castle had also decided to stop drinking caffeine as well. He didn't think it was fair to drink it in front of her, knowing she can't have it.

Right now, Lanie and the boys were probably down in the morgue discussing little bean. Ever since they found out, that's all they seem to want to talk about; not that Kate or Castle really mind. Both agree that it's actually kind of sweet how much they care about the future little Castle.

The pair takes a seat in their chairs; Kate starting up her computer, Castle pulling out his iPhone, waiting for the boys to return.

Fifteen minutes later, the boys return to their desks, and everything is normal. Two days ago, a body dropped in central park. With no witnesses, a lead that didn't pan out, and no promising suspects, the team was becoming frustrated very quickly. To make matters worse for Beckett, Castle has to leave at ten for a meeting with Black Pawn that will probably end up going all day. Without having him there to provide crazy theories or lighten the stressful mood, Kate is in for a long day. She didn't like to seem needy, but everyone including Kate new that she did much better with Castle around.

Castle and Beckett were sitting on her desk looking at the murder board when Castle's phone went off, reminding him of the meeting. Sighing, Kate capped her marker and stood up, turning towards Castle. He pocketed his phone and faced her, a small apologetic smile on his face.

"It's okay Castle. Go, I'll see you at home later." She said with an understanding smile. As upset as she was that Castle had to go to his meeting today, she didn't want him to feel guilty about it. It wasn't his fault. This is after all, his actual job. Hoping to convince him a little more, she took his hand and led him into the break room, closing the door behind them.

"Castle, really, it's ok. I'll be able to handle one day. It doesn't mean I won't miss you though." She said with a smile.

"I'll miss you too…and little bean." He said, placing his hand on her bump.

She smiled and pulled him into a hug, burying her face into his neck, inhaling his wonderful 'Castle' smell. When they pulled back, he knelt down and put his hands back on her belly.

"Okay little bean, Daddy's got to go to a meeting. You be good for Momma alright?" He stroked his thumb across her belly a couple times and placed a kiss just below her belly button before standing back up. She cupped his face with her hands and kissed him. After pulling apart, she rested her forehead against his.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Castle said before giving her one final kiss and pulling away, leaving the break room.

She smiled, rubbing her growing belly, thinking about the wonderful man that helped make this all possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"What are we missing?!" A frustrated Beckett exclaimed from her desk.

The team had continued to work on the case since Castle left, still with no plausible leads.

"Don't worry Beckett, we'll find something." Ryan said, coming up behind her. Kate sighed, setting down her marker when she heard her phone beep. A new text from Castle covered the screen.

**'Hey babe, just wanted to see how you and little bean were doing. Did you eat lunch yet?'**

She sat down in her chair, pushing the hair out of her face before replying.

**'Don't call me babe. Little bean is fine, and no, I haven't eaten lunch yet"**

Less than a minute later, her phone lit up with a reply.

**'Sorry. You should take a break and eat some lunch Kate. I bet little bean is hungry'**

She sighed, rubbing a hand on her little bump before replying,

**'Okay, I'll take a break. How are things going there?'**

**'Have I told you how much I hate meetings? Gina and Paula are driving me insane! I would so rather be at the precinct telling you crazy theories and having you roll your eyes at me'**

She smirked. Everyone knew how much Kate needed Castle, but she didn't think they realized how much he needed her too.

**'Well writer-boy, you better get back to that lovely meeting of yours. Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it'**

**'But Kaateeee…..'**

She rolled her eyes. He really could be such a child sometimes.

**'Suck it up Castle, you'll be fine. I got to go, my stomach is grumbling, the baby is hungry'**

**'Fine…I'll see you later. Love you'**

**'Love you too'**

With that she got up and headed over to the boy's desks. "I'm hungry. What do you say we take a break and head over to Remy's for lunch?"

"Sounds good to me boss." Esposito said grabbing his jacket, Ryan close behind.

After a satisfying lunch, the team got back to the precinct to continue working on the case. After a solid hour of combing through footage, bank accounts, and call logs, the team finally found a lead. Beckett and the boys grabbed their jackets and headed out.

Half an hour later, the team returned with the suspect.

"Put him in the box Espo." She said, heading over to her desk.

"You got it boss." He said, taking the suspect, with the help of Ryan, into the box.

Beckett took her jacket off, putting it on the back of her chair, before sitting down and letting out a sigh. Bringing in the suspect took a lot out of her. She had already been exhausted because of the busy past two days. Hearing from Castle would probably cheer her up. Looking at the clock and noting that it's already three-thirty, she sent Castle a text.

**'We finally got a suspect; he looks pretty good for it. I'm about to go in the box now. How are the meetings going?'**

After a couple minutes, Castle still hadn't replied. Beckett figured he was busy and stood up to go interview the suspect. Just as she was pushing in her chair, a text from Castle dinged on her phone.

**'Glad you got a suspect; hope it pans out. The meetings are well…you know how much I love them. Hopefully we are almost done though. Let me know when you get off, I can pick something up for supper on my way home'**

**'Chinese? I'll let you know. If this is our guy, I should be out of here by six at the latest. Cross your fingers'**

**'Good luck. I got to go, the wicked witch is calling. See you later, love you (and little bean)'**

**'Love you too'**

Kate put her phone in her pocket and headed into interrogation, hoping this suspect was their killer and this case could finally be wrapped up.

After a brutal interrogation and a little good-cop/bad-cop with the help of Ryan, the suspect finally confessed. Beckett and the boys headed back to their desks with a feeling of relief and satisfaction. Now all that was left was the dreadful paperwork.

With the interrogation taking a good half an hour, it was just past four when the team sat down at their desks to start on the paperwork. Beckett wanted to get this done so she could go home and finally get some much needed rest, not to mention see Castle. Ever since she and Castle started dating after more than four years of that back and forth dance, she can't seem to be away from him for more than a few hours at a time without missing him. This used to bother her that she had become so dependent on someone, especially a man. Now, she just embraces the fact that she feels this strongly about someone and loves them this much. Also, ever since finding out about the baby, being around Castle provides her with a comfort that she can't get with anyone else.

After an hour and a half of paperwork, Kate finally finished with the last piece. Signing her signature on the bottom, she capped her pen and placed the document on the stack. After quickly filing the papers and straightening her desk, she grabbed her phone to let Castle know she was done.

**'Collared the suspect. Confession in under an hour; I got to play bad cop(; I just finished paperwork and am about to head out now. See you soon'**

Pocketing her phone and standing up from her desk, she grabbed her jacket and pushed in her chair.

"Alright boys, I'm finished. See you tomorrow."

"See ya Beckett. Say hey to our boy Castle and tell him he missed a good interrogation with you as bad cop and Honeymilk over here as good cop." Esposito said with a smirk.

"Hey! It worked didn't it? And are you guys ever going to let me live down the honeymilk thing?" Ryan said with a slight pout.

"Not a chance bro." Espo said with a wicked smile.

Beckett just shook her head at them and walked towards the elevator. "I'll be sure to let him know Espo." She said before heading into the elevators.

After a long cab ride home due to rush hour traffic, it wasn't until after six when Beckett finally got to the door of the loft.

"I'm home!" She said, removing her jacket and heels before making her way into the living room, surprised Castle hasn't come to greet her yet.

"Castle!" She yelled, not hearing him in the loft. When she came in, his keys were laying in the bowl by the front door along with his jacket hanging on its hook. "Castle?"

Still no answer. Making her way over to the kitchen, she sees nothing out of the ordinary, but no Chinese food either. Kate stops, listening for something to let her know Castle is here. There's no soft padding of his feet coming from upstairs; no water running in their bathroom; no clicking from the keyboard coming from his office.

Feeling a little frustrated, she takes her phone from her jeans pocket and hits the speed dial for his number. After a second of it ringing, she hears his phone coming from his office. Did he fall asleep? She thinks to herself. Hanging up, she pockets her phone and heads into his office.

"Hey Castle, do you know-" She stopped as soon as she saw his body lying, unmoving, on the floor. She rushed over to him and fell to the ground, her hands hovering over him, afraid to touch him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Castle" Kate says, tears starting to stream down her face. "Oh my god…" She runs her eyes over his body looking for injuries and stops at the gash above his forehead. Rolling him over to get a better look, she now notices the blood stain coming from his shirt. Lifting it up, a stab wound is present with a slow trickle of blood coming from it.

"No, no no! Castle, no!" Kate says, applying pressure to the wound. Her shaking fingers go to his neck, searching for a sign of life. She holds her breath and closes her eyes. Kate lets out a shaky breath when she feels a faint pulse. Quickly taking her phone out of her pocket with one hand and keeping the other firmly on his wound, she dials 911.

After hanging up with assurance that the paramedics are on their way, she tries to wipe away some of the tears that have fallen down her face.

Keeping one hand on the wound, Kate starts carefully running her fingers through his hair.

"C'mon Castle, s-stay with me. You have to stay with me. I need you. P-please don't leave me."

Sobbing, she rests her forehead against his. "Rick, please. I love you. Y-you're going to be okay, just stay with me."

What feels like hours later, but in reality only minutes, paramedics and police come running through the doors.

"Detective. Detective Beckett." A paramedic says, trying to get her attention. She looks up toward the man with tear-filled eyes. "We need you to step back ma'am so when can help him."

She warily nods her head and moves back so the paramedics can help him.

"How long has he been like this?"

"I-I don't know. I came home about ten minutes ago and I just found him lying here."

The ride to the hospital seemed like the longest moments of Kate's life. Everything that's happened since she found him on the floor has appeared to of been in slow motion. As the paramedics worked on Castle, she sat by his head, stroking her fingers through his hair and whispering reassuring and loving words to him.

When the ambulance finally pulled up at the hospital, the doors flew open and his gurney was rushed out and into the E.R. doors. Kate was running with the gurney until all of a sudden a nurse grabbed her gently by the arm, halting her in the process.

"I'm sorry ma'am but this is as far as you can go." With a reluctant nod, she stopped, watching as the gurney rolled away. Watching as her partner, best friend, husband, father of her unborn child, was taken away. Overwhelmed with emotion, she leaned back against the wall, slowly sliding down. Placing her head in her hands, violent sobs began to overtake her body.

The boys were at their desks about to head home when Javier's phone started to ring.

"Esposito." He said, listening as the cop on the other end relayed information.

"What?! When?" He said grabbing his jacket and motioning towards Ryan. The other detective gave him a questioning look, but Espo was paying no attention to him. Javier listened carefully as the cop gave what information he had, then hung up his phone, shocked.

"Dude was is it?" Ryan said, putting a hand on Esposito's shoulder.

He looked at him with a dreadful look and said, "Castle's been stabbed."

After informing Captain Gates, the boys set out to the hospital as fast as they could. With Ryan driving, Espo called Lanie, telling her to meet them at the hospital.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the boys ran into the hospital looking for Kate. After slowing down to a brisk walk, Ryan headed over to the nurses' station, showing his badge. "I'm Detective Ryan and I'm looking for Detective Kate Beckett. She came in here with Richard Castle." The detective said, a little out of breath. The nurse mentioned the waiting room, and with a quick thanks, Ryan grabbed his partner and headed off down the hall in search of her.

After heading down the hallway and taking a couple turns, the pair slowed to a stop as they saw Beckett slumped in a chair with her head in her hands. Cautiously they approached, sitting down next to her. "Beckett." Esposito said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kate looked up, eyes red and tears streaming down her face. With a questioning look on her face, Ryan started to explain "We got wind of what happened from a cop on the scene. We let Gates know. She's got Karpowski's team on it now. Don't worry Beckett, we'll find out who did this."

All Kate could do was nod her head as she stared off into space, barely comprehending his words. Suddenly a though struck her.

"Oh god, Alexis and Martha!" she said, a look of panic clouding her eyes.

"Don't worry Kate, we called them. They said the weather up in the Hamptons would delay there leave a little, but they would be here as soon as they could." Ryan said.

She let out a shaky breath of relief, only to then drift back into her disjointed state.

Less than five minutes later, Lanie came into the waiting room; a face covered with worry, only having it turn dejected by the look of Kate's face. She slowly made her way over to her friend, not knowing what to say or do in a situation like this. When Kate had feelings similar to this or any other feelings which presented in a negative way, there was only one person who could help her through it. That person was currently lying in an O.R. room fighting for his life.

Noticing Lanie approach, the boys silently shifted over a couple seats to give Lanie some room.

"Hey sweetie." Lanie said gently, sitting down next to Kate and placing a hand on her forearm. Kate looked at Lanie with eyes full of despair, but remained silent. Not knowing how to comfort her friend in a situation like this, she simply stroked her thumb soothingly along Kate's forearm.

They waited in silence. No one speaking, no one knowing what to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

As the minute hands on the clock passed by, the four of them continued to sit in the small waiting room of the hospital, hoping that soon enough a doctor would come in with information; any information. An hour and a half had passed since Castle had initially gotten to the hospital and had been rushed into surgery. In that time, no one has come to give an update on Castle, regardless of the several attempts by Lanie and the boys pestering the nurses at the nurses' station. Esposito and Ryan sit on the hard plastic chairs of the waiting room, making small talk, sipping some of the horrible coffee from the cafeteria. Lanie is listening too, half-heartedly, sipping on her tea, while also glancing at Kate ever-so-often. She remains silent, lost in her own thoughts, stroking her barely-there baby bump tenderly.

The first time Lanie and the boys notice her doing this, they fall silent. A grim look covers their faces as they take in the situation at hand. They all sit there wondering, why and who would do this. They can't help but look at Kate with grief at the sight of her stroking her stomach in an attempt to do what, they're not sure. They wonder if it's simply a comforting feeling, Kate getting lost in a world of what-ifs, or both.

Another two hours passes with still no word on the fate of Castle. Now nearing ten o'clock, Kate starts to feel the exhaust coming on. Martha and Alexis called a little while ago letting them know they were on their way.

Finally, after a strenuous four hour wait, a doctor dressed in scrubs came into the waiting room. Upon hearing his footsteps, Kate raises her head and slowly stands from her chair, a desperate yet hopeful look on her face.

"I'm Dr. Warren, the surgeon on Mr. Castle's case." He said, extending his hand to Kate.

She took it and slightly nodded. "I'm Kate, Castle's wife." She said, holding her breath and waiting for the impending news of her husband.

"Well Mrs. Castle, as you know, Mr. Castle's condition was quite serious when he was brought in. His great amount of blood loss alarmed us. During surgery, we repaired the damage done by the stab wound. The knife nicked his spleen causing the significant blood loss, but we were able to repair the damage. We also found a small tear in his liver, but we were able to repair that as well. His right lung was punctured causing it to collapse, which created his shallow breathing. A tube needed to be inserted so Mr. Castle could properly breathe on his own. The gash on his forehead needed stitches, but other than that the wound was superficial. Due to Mr. Castle hitting his head on the floor when he collapsed, he's suffered a minor concussion. Overall, the surgery went well, and he is under sedation to give his body the much needed rest."

The whole time the doctor was speaking, Kate had one hand on her stomach, and the other covering her mouth, not wanting the sob deep in her throat to escape. With tears brimming in her eyes, she listened carefully to what the doctor was saying, not wanting to even breathe until he was finished.

"Is he…is he going to be okay?" She asked, shakily.

"As I said the surgery went well, which is a good sign. For now, we have to wait and let his body recover, but judging by his current state, I say he is doing very well given the circumstances. We'll know more once his heart rate increases and he is able to breathe on his own."

She nodded her head, and looked from the floor back up to the doctor. "Do you have any idea of when he might wake up?"

"It's hard to say Mrs. Castle. Given his current state, it could be a few days before Mr. Castle regains consciousness. From here on, it's a waiting game."

She bit her lip and let out a shaky breath. "Can I see him?"

"Of course, I'll get a nurse to take you up to him. If you'd like, we can arrange to get an extra bed set up in his room for you?"

"Y-yes, thank you."

"No problem. If you need anything else, let me know."

"I will, thank you." She said before watching the doctor walk away.

Kate stared at the floor for a minute, her eyes closed, taking shaky breaths. Lanie gently put her hand on Kate's shoulder. She looked up from the floor, the tears now escaping her eyes.

"Lanie…" She said with a distraught voice.

"I know sweetie, I know." She pulled her best friend into a hug, murmuring reassuring words as Kate cried against her shoulder. "Don't worry honey, he's gonna pull through this. Before you know it, he'll be awake cracking jokes and giving us that goofy grin of his." Kate just nodded into Lanie's shoulder, holding onto her.

Kate was relieved to know that Castle made it through the surgery, but she was troubled to learn he wasn't out of the woods yet. She hoped with everything she had that Lanie was right. After a few minutes, the Detective pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes. The boys each pulled her in for a quick hug and some reassuring words of their own. She appreciated all they were doing for her, she really did, but right now there was only one person who could help her though this. That man was currently lying in a hospital bed, and the reason behind all this grief that overwhelmed her.

After another couple minutes, a nurse came into the waiting room announcing she could take Kate up to see Castle. Lanie and the boys said they'd call Martha and Alexis and wait for them until they arrived at the hospital.

"He's in here. Go right ahead. The bed is set up for you Mrs. Castle; press the call button if you need anything." The nurse said politely.

"Thank you." Kate said before watching the nurse walk away.

She turned to face the closed door to his room. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she put her fingers slowly on the handle; waiting a moment before carefully pushing the door open.

Stepping inside the white room, Kate was met with silence except for the continuous beeping coming from the heart monitor. Walking over to her husband, lying completely still, she took him in from head to toe. Tubes and wires seemed to be going everywhere and coming from nowhere. A light blue blanket covered him from feet to mid-chest. Walking up to Castle, she noticed his paleness and was met with a lack of bright blue eyes which she loved so much. Stopping at his side, she gently took his hand in hers, noticing it was much colder than it normally was. Kate's other hand gently stroked his hair, afraid that if she touched him too hard, he would break.

Closing her eyes, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Releasing a shaky breath, she opened her eyes, giving his hand a gentle squeeze with her own.

"Rick." She said, barely able to keep down the sob threatening to break loose. "I'm so sorry….I'm so sorry." She said in barely a whisper. "We're going to find whoever did this. You're going to be okay. You have to Castle. I need you…Little bean needs you. P-please be okay." Leaning down with her lips right by his forehead, she whispered, "I love you…I love you so much." Kate gently kissed his forehead, before slowly standing up and briefly letting go of his hand. She brought over a chair from the corner of his room and placed it where she had been previously standing on his right side. She grabbed his hand again, intertwining their fingers.

After a few moments, she looked around the private hospital room. To the left of his bed was a small couch and another two chairs. In front of his bed was a door, leading to the small bathroom adjoining his room. The bed in which the nurses had brought in for Kate, sat directly to his right, behind her chair. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself by taking slow breaths, letting her mind wander.

There was a soft knock at the door which stirred her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes, not knowing how much time had passed since she'd been in the room. Looking at the small clock on the table next to his bed, she realized it had been about fifteen minutes.

The door slowly started to open, and Kate turned to see who it was. A saddened Jim Beckett entered the hospital room, staring at his daughter with an anguished look. He made his way over to Kate, who was now standing at the foot of Castle's bed. Wordlessly, Jim wrapped his daughter into a hug. She held onto him for dear life, burying her head in his neck, finally letting the sobs release from her body. Jim rubbed soothing circles on her back, trying to provide what little comfort he could. Finally, Kate's sobs that wracked her body slowed, only silent tears being released.

"Daddy, what am I gonna do?" She managed to get out through the tears. Kate hadn't called her father 'daddy' since she was a teenager. Feeling so lost now, she was glad her father was there to help her through this.

"You're going to get through this Katie; you and Rick. He's a fighter, we both know that."

"I'm so scared."

"I know sweetie, I know. Right now we just have to wait. If I know Rick at all though, he'll do everything he can to get better for you and that beautiful little person growing inside of you."

They continued to hug, Kate not wanting to let her father go. After a little while, Jim took a seat in the chair on the left side of Rick's bed and Kate returned to her seat at his right, holding his hand.

Fifteen or so minutes later, another knock broke the silence of the room. As Kate turned to see two redheads entering the room, she stood once again. Immediately Alexis ran into Kate's arms, giving her a bone-crushing hug. She returned it with just as much strength, running a soothing hand over the young girl's hair. Alexis buried her head into Kate's neck, the way she had done before when her father entered the room. As Alexis cried, Kate whispered comforting words to her, kissing her head every so often.

While Alexis had taken in the comfort of Kate, Martha watched for a moment with tear stricken eyes, before Jim came up and offered her a hug. She gladly accepted; Jim holding her a minute before letting her go. Meanwhile, Lanie and the boys had waited in the doorway of the room, taking in the scene before them.

After a few minutes, Alexis shifted so she was able to see her father. Now in a side hug with Kate, resting her head on her shoulder, the two made their way over to the side of the bed. Martha and Jim went to the left side of his bed, while Lanie and the boys went further into the room.

After ten or so minutes of silence, the sound of a cell phone ringing broke the quiet air. Detectives Ryan and Esposito excused themselves from the room. They returned after a minute, Kate and Alexis shifting to hear what they had to say. Esposito was the one to speak up.

"That was Karpowski. She said they have no new leads on a suspect yet, but they finally got footage of the apartment building and across the street from CSU and are looking at it now. Ryan and I are going to head to the precinct and see what we can do."

Kate gave a nod and a thank you before the boys headed off back to the twelfth.

Now after eleven o'clock, Jim said that he should get going but would be back tomorrow. Lanie offered to drive him home, and with exchanged goodbyes from everyone in the room, the pair headed out.

Alexis had finally released Kate after Jim and Lanie left. She pulled up a chair next to Kate while Martha sat in the seat to the left of her son.

Everyone was exhausted. It now neared midnight, and Martha stood up from her seat. "Alexis, why don't we go home and get some rest. We can come back tomorrow morning to see your father."

Alexis only tightened her grip on Kate's hand and looked from her father to her grandmother with frightened eyes. "I don't want to leave grams. I wanna stay with dad. I-I want to stay with Kate."

"Sweetheart-" She started to say before Kate cut her off.

"It's alright Martha, she can stay here with me. We have the bed the nurses brought in; I understand why she doesn't want to leave now."

Martha gave a smile small and a nod. "Alright dears, I'll be back in the morning. You two try and get some rest, especially you Kate. You've got the little one to take care of."

Both women nodded and gave Martha a hug and kiss on the cheek before she left.

"Why don't we try and get some rest?" Kate suggested.

Alexis nodded her head and went over to give her father a kiss on the head. "I love you daddy." She whispered, before giving Kate a moment to do the same.

Kate crawled in first, lying on her back. Alexis lay down next to Kate, snuggling in her side. She wrapped an arm around the detective, resting her head on Kate's shoulder, just below her neck. Kate wrapped her arms around the young girl, pulling her closer.

"Night Kate, love you." Alexis whispered.

"Goodnight Alexis, I love you too." She said, placing a kiss on her head.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Kate woke with a stir the next morning. Her eyes fluttered open and she was momentarily confused to where she was until the events of yesterday came flooding back into her mind. Looking at the still sleeping form next to her, Kate let out a sigh and ran her hand the through the young girls red hair. Alexis snuggled further into Kate's side letting out a contented sigh. She stared at her a moment longer before shifting her eyes to her husband lying on the other bed. He remains still, the only movements coming from his breathing. Looking from his bed to the small clock on the wall, she notices the time, 4:06 a.m. Letting out another sigh, she lays her head back down on the pillow, willing sleep to come. After laying there staring at the ceiling and subconsciously stroking Alexis' hair, Kate is finally able to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

Kate feels movement in her arms and a soft noise that seems to draw her out of her sleep. She looks to the young girl in her arms, moving around and emitting a small whimper. A nightmare. Kate had has far too much experience with these after her shooting. She lays a hand on Alexis' shoulder, giving her a gentle shake.

"Alexis, sweetie, wake up." She continues to move, her legs started to kick. "Alexis." Kate tries again with a little more force. The girl starts to thrash, the violent nightmare seeming to get worse with time. "Alexis, it's okay, wake up, it's just a dream." Finally, the girl's eyes flutter open, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Kate?" She says, barely above a whisper.

Kate pulls Alexis into her arms and holds her tight, stroking her hair. "It's alright, it was just a nightmare, it's ok."

"You were gone. Dad was gone and you were there with me, but then you left. I tried looking for you but I couldn't find you anywhere. I was all alone."

Kate pulled her closer and kissed her head. "I'm right here, I'm not leaving. It's okay, I'm right here," she kept repeating until Alexis seemed to calm down. After laying there for a while, the young girl drifted back to sleep. Kate looked at the clock once again, noting the now later time of 5:45 a.m. Knowing the doctors were going to be coming around for rounds in the next hour or less, she couldn't seem to fall asleep.

At quarter after six, a soft knock on the door brought Kate out of her daydream. A doctor and two nurses came into the room.

"Good Morning Mrs. Castle, we're sorry to wake you this early." The doctor said sincerely.

"It's okay, I was already awake."

"I'm here to do an assessment of Mr. Castle's condition and give you an update. The nurses are going to adjust his IV's and check his stitches."

Kate lay silently next to a still sleeping Alexis while the doctor and nurses checked over Castle. After a short while, the doctor turned away from him and once again faced Kate. The two nurses silently left the room, a small smile on their face at the sight of Alexis' sleeping form next to Kate and her protective arm covering the young girl.

"His heart rate is up from last night which is a good sign, and his blood pressure also seems to be returning to a more normal level. We issued more IV fluids to keep him hydrated and reduce some of the pain. The sedation from the surgery should have worn off, it's now just a waiting game to see when Mr. Castle will wake up. The chest tube will need to remain in place for now. We will be able to remove it once he is awake. The stitches are looking good and there doesn't appear to be any signs of infection at the incision site. We'll keep a close eye on him these next twelve to twenty-four hours, but his condition is definitely improving."

Kate just nodded her head, trying to digest everything the doctor said.

"Do you have any questions Mrs. Castle?"

"Oh, no, no. Um, thank you- for everything."

The doctor gave her a small smile and a nod of his head.

"How are you and your daughter holding up?" He asked with genuine concern.

"We're- we're doing the best we can. We'll definitely feel more relieved once Castle wakes up." Kate says, looking down at the sleeping girl and once again stroking her hair.

The doctor gives a knowing nod and says, "Let me know if you need anything," before leaving the room.

At seven o'clock, another gentle knock on the door brings Kate's attention from Rick's bed to the person entering the room.

"Good morning darling." Martha says quietly, entering the room.

Kate gives the woman a small smile. "Good morning Martha."

"How did you sleep dear?" The older red-headed woman asks.

Kate gives a knowing grin. "I've had better nights."

"Same as well for me. I am surprised to find Alexis still asleep though." Martha says nodding to the girl snuggled into Kate's side, her head resting in the crook of Kate's neck.

"Me too. The doctor came in a little while ago to check on Castle and she slept through it. She must be tired though; this morning I had to wake her up from a bad nightmare."

"Oh dear, was it about what happened to Richard?" Martha asks, glancing over to her son on the other bed.

"I'm not entirely sure. Alexis said in her dream he was gone and I was there with her, but then all of a sudden I was gone. She was looking for me and couldn't find me; that's when I finally managed to wake her up."

"Hopefully these nightmares aren't a recurring thing for her. I'm glad you were here with her though darling." Martha says giving Kate a small smile.

"Me too. I know how hard the nightmares can be; hopefully Alexis won't have to go through that too."

Martha gives a nod of her head before both women watch the young girl sleep for a few moments. Martha then looks over to her son, "Katherine, you mentioned the doctor coming in to check on Richard earlier; what did he say?"

"He said that Castle's condition was improving. His stitches and incision looked good, and the nurses gave him more pain medication. They are going to keep a close eye on him the next twelve to twenty-four hours, and as for him waking up…we just have to be patient."

"Don't worry dear, he's a fighter. He'll be up and about in no time."

"I hope so." Kate says, looking at Castle with a sad smile.

The rest of the day went by without much activity. Alexis awoke soon after Martha entered the room, and the three made light conversation until Lanie and the boys dropped by to see how Castle and everyone else were doing. Esposito and Ryan informed them they hadn't found any new leads, but weren't about to give up yet.

Noon rolled around and Martha and Lanie suggested that everyone needed a break and should head down to the cafeteria to get some lunch.

Everyone gathered there jackets and stood up to leave the room, but Kate remained seated next to Castle, holding his hand tightly with hers.

"Darling, why don't you take a little break and have some lunch with us?" Martha suggested, trying to get Kate to take a much needed break. She had skipped breakfast as well as dinner last night.

"C'mon sweetie, it'll just be a half an hour, you should take a break." Lanie said, trying to coax her friend into getting some food in her stomach.

"I'm fine, you guys go ahead."

"Kate, you haven't left the room since you got here yesterday. Did you even eat dinner last night? You were here with me all morning so I know you didn't eat breakfast." Alexis said, worried about Kate and the baby.

"I appreciate you guys looking out for me, but I just can't leave Castle. Maybe you guys could bring me something back? I'm not really hungry, but I know the baby should eat."

"I'll bring you back something." Alexis said with a nod, happy that Kate decided to at least eat something.

"Thank you sweetie." She said with a small smile.

A half an hour later, everyone returned back to Castle's room to find Kate talking with Jim, still sitting in the same spot they left her in prior to leaving.

"Hey guys, how was lunch?" Kate said, the conversation with her father coming to an end.

"Oh, you know, hospital cafeteria food. Can't get much better than that." Javier said with a smirk.

"I'm sure." Kate said with an eye roll.

"Here you go Kate, I brought you a sandwich, salad, and a bottle of water, I hope that's ok?" Alexis said nervously.

"That's great sweetie, thank you." Kate said with a genuine smile, giving the girl a side hug; the best as she could still sitting in the chair.

Everyone greeted Jim and small conversation filled the room while Kate ate her lunch. After an hour or so of chatting, the boys stood up announcing that they should get back to the precinct and see how Karpowski's doing on the case. Soon after, Lanie had to leave to finish up some notes on a case of hers back at the morgue.

Jim and the three women continued to chat as the afternoon slowly dragged out. Now almost 4:30, Jim announced he had to get going to grab some notes on a case of his from work. Shortly after Jim's departure, Martha spoke up, saying that she and Alexis were going back to the loft for a little bit.

"Alexis would like to change clothes and freshen up a bit, so I thought I'd take her home. We'll be back in a couple hours with some dinner that we can all eat in here. Does that sound all right darling?"

"Yes, that sounds good."

"Do you want anything specific for supper Kate?" Alexis asked.

"It doesn't matter to me. We can order Chinese or pizza if you'd like; whatever you want."

"Okay, we'll be back in a couple hours." Alexis said, wishing Kate would come home to take a little break.

Kate stood to give Alexis a short hug, doing the same with Martha.

After the two left, Kate was once again alone with only her and Castle in the small private room.

"Castle I need you to wake up for me. I know you can do it. I just really need to see those blue eyes and know everything is going to be ok. Please." She said, gently stroking his hair, her voice laced with emotion. Laying her head down on the bed next to his arm, she fell asleep, their fingers still intertwined.

Kate awoke a couple hours later to a soft knock on the door, announcing the return of the Alexis and Martha. Martha came in with two bags of what looked and smelled to be Chinese, while Alexis was carrying a small black duffel back.

"We decided on Chinese." Martha said, setting the two bags on the empty hospital bed Kate and Alexis occupied last night.

"It smells wonderful. What's in the bag Alexis?" She said, gesturing to the duffel in Alexis' right hand.

"Well I know you don't want to leave Dad, so I thought I'd bring you a couple changes of clothes and some toiletries. Is that okay? I wasn't sure if you wanted me going through your stuff, but-"

Kate cut her off before the young girl could question herself anymore. "Thank you Alexis, I really appreciate that. Don't worry about going through my stuff. Little Castle can look through my stuff; Big Castle," she says, gesturing to Rick with a small smirk, "not so much."

Everyone let out a laugh, and it felt good to be able to joke a little again.

The three women sat and enjoyed their meal, talking about everything from shopping to Alexis' upcoming school year. After a while, Alexis started to yawn, causing Martha and Kate to both suggest she go home and get some rest. Reluctantly, she agreed. Not only was she not too keen on leaving her father, but she was also worried about leaving Kate. Furthermore, last night she liked being able to sleep next to Kate. It made her feel safe and she was able to not focus on the nightmare she had.

Martha said her goodbyes and goodnights to Kate, announcing they would be back tomorrow morning with breakfast.

"It seems like I am using you guys as my personal food delivery service." Kate said with a smile.

"Nonsense darling. You need to eat, and it's not like you're the only one here doing it." With a final hug, Martha left the room, giving Kate and Alexis a moment alone.

Seeing Alexis' hesitancy to leave, Kate stepped in and gave her a giant hug. Stroking her hair, as she tried to ease her mind a little.

"Don't worry Lex, if anything changes I'll let you know." Pulling back, she looked Alexis in the eye. "Sweetie, if you need anything- anything, you let me know. If you have a nightmare, don't be afraid to call me okay?"

Alexis let out a relieved sigh and nodded her head. Hugging Kate again, she felt better about going back home for the night. "Thank you Kate."

"Always."

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Reviews? Suggestions?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kate had another restless night. After tossing and turning for over two hours, she sighed in frustration and got up out of bed. Walking over to the side of Castle's bed, she took in the man before her. Her husband laid there, a peaceful look on his face, as if he were just sleeping. Sitting down carefully by his hip, she gently caressed his forearm.

After sitting with him for over an hour, she stood up, kissing his forehead and went back to her bed. She lay with her eyes closed, letting a few tears slip down her cheeks.

_'He still hasn't woken up. He still hasn't woken up…He has to be okay….he has too.' _She thought to herself.

After drifting into a dreamless sleep, she awoke early in the morning to find Alexis lying beside her, staring.

"Hey Lex, you ok?" She said, still trying to wake up.

Alexis just watched at her, an unreadable look in her face.

"Alexis?" She said, starting to get worried. "Did you have another nightmare?"

The young girl sighed, shifting her eyes to the bed. "Yeah. It wasn't about…dad, though."

"What was is about?" Kate asked hesitantly. She want to push her too much, but she knew how much talking about the nightmares seemed to help.

Alexis' eyes flicked nervously up to Kate and then back down to the bed, not answering her question.

"Lex, it's okay. You can tell me anything." Kate said, stoking Alexis' hair.

Reluctantly Alexis brought her eyes up to Kate and spoke barely above a whisper. "It was about you, Kate."

"Me?" She said, surprise evident in her voice.

"I…it was about you…and the baby." She took a deep breath, momentarily closing her eyes. "You- you and the baby got hurt. I was standing there…and I couldn't move. I just watched you get hurt. I was so scared." She said, tears running down her face.

Kate took Alexis' face between her hands, looking her in the eyes. "I'm ok sweetie. The baby is ok. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

Alexis nodded her head and Kate pulled her into a tight embrace.

After a few minutes, Alexis spoke quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't call. I was too nervous and I didn't want to wake you."

"Alexis, it doesn't matter where or when, if you need anything, call me. Day or night, I don't care."

"Okay. I promise next time I'll call. Thank you…again."

She gave a smile. "No problem sweetie."

Back at the twelfth….

"Bro, come check this out." Esposito said, motioning towards the surveillance footage in the room. Ryan got up from his desk and headed in to see what his partner found.

"You got something man?" Ryan asked, nodding his head toward the footage.

"I don't know. I was looking through the footage from the camera from a nearby building again and I saw this." He said pointing to a car on the screen.

"What about it?" Ryan asked.

"I was looking through footage from previous days before the attack, and I noticed this car there at the same time for the past three days."

"Are you thinking somebody was watching the building? What if it's just a person who lives or works around there?"

"Bro the car parks in the same area directly across from Castle's building, stays no more than a half an hour and then leaves. Nobody even gets out of the car."

"Can we get a plate?"

"I've got Karpowski running it right now."

"Man, I hope this is the break we've been waiting for. We can't let this guy get away." Ryan said, shaking his head.

"I know bro, me too. We're going to find the son of a bitch that did this to Castle."

"I just wish we could figure out a motive. I mean, why Castle? If they were watching his building, they must have been waiting for an opportunity to make sure he's alone. They could have been planning this for days, hell even weeks."

While the boys and Karpowski's team were working hard on the case at the precinct, everyone at the hospital was trying to pass the time. Castle still hadn't woken up, and Kate as well as Alexis was starting to become restless, the worst case scenarios running through their minds. Lanie, Martha, and Jim tried to calm the two women down, but to no avail.

The hours slowly passed, Kate wishing and hoping with everything she had that Castle would wake up.

The sudden ringing of her cell phone brought her out of her daze. Without even looking at the caller ID she answered in her usual manner, "Beckett."

"Hey Beckett, I think we may have found something." Esposito's voice said through the phone.

With his statement, Kate suddenly sat up straighter causing everyone to look at her with curiosity.

"What did you find?" She asked, the nerves settling deep in her stomach.

"We were looking through footage of a camera nearby the loft's building, and a car, a red CLS550, was parked across the street of the building around the same time every day for three days prior to Castle's attack. The car was also there on the day of his attack; the same time as the previous three days. The car would sit there for a half an hour tops, then leave. Nobody got out the car all four days."

As Kate listened to Esposito give what information he had, she moved from her spot next to Castle to a spot in the corner of the room, facing away from everyone.

"You think somebody was watching the building." She said, a statement, not a question.

"We think whoever was driving may have been waiting for an opportunity to get Castle alone."

"What time was the car there every day?"

"It got there between five and six o'clock."

"The three days before Castle's attack, he and I came home together around that time."

"He must have seen you were with him and decided to wait."

"So when he saw Castle come home by himself, he decided it was the perfect time…he was alone." She said, her voice showing signs of defeat and remorse.

"Kate, this isn't your fault. You didn't know." Esposito said genuinely.

"But if I had just gotten home sooner, or-"

"Beckett, don't beat yourself up over this. I know for a fact Castle would never blame you for any of this."

Ignoring his response, she decided to focus on the information at hand. "Did you get plates?"

"Yeah, the car was reported stolen a week before. We're checking it out, see if we can get anything. The windows were tinted out so we couldn't make out a face. We put a BOLO out and have unis looking for the car now. "

Kate sighed, wishing they had more evidence, but knowing they were doing their best.

"Alright, thanks. Let me know if you find anything else."

"We will…hang in there Kate."

"I'm trying." She said before hanging up the phone. When she turned around, she was met with the nervous and slightly curious faces of the three people in the room.

"Did the boys find something?" Lanie asked, the first one to break the silence.

Kate hesitated a moment, taking a deep breath before she spoke. "They found a car that had been parked across the street three days prior to the attack as well as on the day of the attack. The car would stay there for a short period of time and then leave; no one ever got out of the car."

"They think someone was watching the building?" Alexis asked, a scared tenor in her voice.

"Yeah, the car was reported stolen a week before, so they're checking into it."

Kate returned to where she was sitting, once again taking Castle's hand.

Martha walked up to her and laid a gentle hand on Kate's shoulder. "They will find who did this dear. They're getting closer and it's only a matter of time."

Kate just nodded her head, not willing to voice the uncertainties she had in her mind. It's not that she doubted the abilities of her partners of Karpowski's team, it's just she felt something was off about the case. Whoever did this seemed to know what they were doing. No fingerprints or DNA left behind, no video footage of their face…they were good whoever they were. She had a feeling this might be deeper than they thought. Whoever did this took a lot of time planning. Even through all of these thoughts that had crossed Kate's mind, one seemed to be repeating itself over and over, _'Why did they do this to Castle? What motive could they possibly have?'_

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**Reviews? Suggestions? Any ideas on who you think did this to Castle and/or why? **

**Thank you guys so much for reading! I can't wait to see what you think. **

**More coming soon!**


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